Landing Giant Bass in May

Author

Brian Carter
May 01, 2025

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Fishing is a Contact Sport: Finding the Hawgs by Bruce Callis Jr

It’s the middle of May already! Where has time gone? We have been getting rain, so everything should be full or nearing full. But, it’s also getting hotter and the mayflies, or deer flies, are out. It can get really rough at times, fighting mosquitoes and flies, not to mention the weather. And the fishing is getting better! And for me, that means the bait choices expand and shrink. Now is the time to start with that topwater action. For me, that means a SPRO

frog. Of course, saying a frog isn’t quite so simple. I like to use 2 styles, a regular Bronzeye frog and a popping frog. For fishing the pads and over mats, it’s a SPRO Bronzeye, and sometimes I will go with the King frog if the mat is heavy. While I can work it anywhere, really, there are times that I prefer the popping frog. It gives more noise and can draw up those big girls.

Feature Story

April Transitions by Carson Maddux

Top tournament hacks by Carson Maddux

Fishing season is in full swing for everyone across the country. The northern waters are thawed out, and the lakes here in the south are firing. Bass can be caught on almost anything and in almost any depth. It is a great time to be on the water and probably my personal favorite time of year. There is something nostalgic about the excitement and anticipation of summertime that can not be explained. The lakes get busier and while it can be frustrating, who can blame the masses for wanting to enjoy what we have all year long. This week, I want to dive into something a little less technical and talk about some of the “hacks” I’ve learned to make tournaments more enjoyable.

Tournament fishing can be and in most cases is expensive. Especially if you are traveling and staying away from home. Lodging, gas, unnecessary but totally necessary tackle expenses all add up. In my experience, prepping for a tournament beforehand can help alleviate some of these costs. For example, grabbing groceries before leaving for the event can save you a TON. We have all done it; stop at a gas station and buy an energy drink, a few waters for the day, and maybe a snack or two. By the end of it you are dropping $15-20 at this gas station per day on drinks and snacks alone. Buying a case of water/drinks and your favorite snacks in bulk can save you both time and money. Not only this, but being properly fueled with better quality food/drink can help you perform better while on the water.

The Next Bass Cast Tourney Event is May 31st

Come on out & enjoy a great day on beautiful Smith Mountain Lake & fish against some of the best anglers in VA. Just click the link to get signed up as well as paid up.

Mistakes that Anglers Make in the Spring

By Calvin Herndon

Have you ever been on the water in the spring and thought Why am I not catching fish? Usually, in the springtime,e catching bass should be relatively easy. In the spring, bass are looking to feed up and get ready to spawn, but unfortunately, anglers make tiny mistakes during this time that can affect their fishing experience during the spring. Let’s talk about these tiny mistakes and ways you, as an angler, can make adjustments to avoid these mistakes.

The first mistake that anglers make is that anglers focus on wind-blown points. This goes against what every angler has been told to follow the wind or wind is your friend. So in the spring the wind that you get is usually a northern wind, which is a cold wind. Think about what bass are trying to find in the spring, they are trying to find warmer water so that they can spawn. If you have the northern win,d that is going to cool the water down and make it hard for bass to find warm water. So what do you do? Find and fish pockets that are protected from the wind. If it is a northern wind, avoid southern pockets because they will be affected by the wind the most. Let me put a disclaimer about this mistake this does not go for every lake. If you have a deep clear body of water then the wind does not affect the fish that much due to the depth of the water. Which this helps me move into my next mistake.

Until next time,

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